Mechanical Banks Rate High Interest

ALL ABOUT ANTIQUES

August 11, 2002|By Ralph and Terry Kovel, King Features Syndicate

Mechanical banks encouraged children to save their pennies. Too bad they didn't save the banks instead.

These moving banks have been popular since they were made in Victorian times. One of the most expensive and entertaining is called "Girl Skipping Rope." The bank was designed by James Bowen and was patented in May 1890. It was manufactured by J.&E. Stevens Co. of Cromwell, Conn. Put in the money, and the rope goes around while the girl "skips." Because the mechanism was so complicated, these banks broke easily.

Few remain in good condition. Examples of banks in good condition with much of the original paint have sold in the past 10 years for more than $50,000.

HORN OF PLENTY VALUE

Question: In the early 1940s, my husband's grandfather ran a gas station in upstate New York. One day he was admiring a set of horn furniture in the back of a truck that had stopped for gas. The driver offered the furniture in exchange for a full tank of gas. For that one tank of gas, the driver gave him two chairs, a side table, a picture frame and an oval wall mirror. Can you tell us anything about horn furniture?

Answer: Horn furniture was made from animal horns that were discarded at slaughterhouses. It became popular near the turn of the 20th century. We have recently seen more of it at shows, and it sells well. You can imagine how difficult it was to find horns of the same size and shape to build a symmetrical chair. A single chair sells for between $500 and $1,500 today.

GARAGE SALE BARGAIN

Q: I paid a dollar for a pretty glass wine decanter at a garage sale. It is 10 inches tall and 14 inches in diameter at the wide midsection. The narrow top ends with a stopper shaped like a woman. The shape reminds me of a drugstore candy jar. Around the wide center are the words "Marie Brizard & Roger -- France." Where did it come from, and is it worth more than I paid?

A: Marie Brizard & Roger is a French liquor company that traces its history to 1775. Today the firm sells products in more than 130 countries. Your decanter probably dates from the 1960s, when modern "collector" bottles were at the height of their popularity. Marie Brizard collector bottles sell for about $15 to $20, so you can be proud of your purchase.

A GEM OF AN IRON

Q: Can you tell me the value of a Diamond brand gasoline-powered clothes iron made by the Akron Lamp Co.? Neither the instruction sheets nor the label on the iron has a date. The iron has a small attached gas tank. I have the iron, its original wooden box, original hand pump, funnel and list of parts. How can I contact people interested in buying the iron?

A: Several manufacturers of early pressing irons made irons heated by liquid fuels, including natural gas, denatured alcohol, kerosene or gasoline. These irons were easily lit, and the heat could be controlled. They were a big improvement over charcoal irons, but they could be dangerous. Under some conditions, they could explode.

The Akron Lamp Co. made gasoline-powered self-heating Diamond irons from the early 1900s into the 1930s. Liquid-fuel irons are not rare. An early Diamond iron sells today for about $70.

Because you have the original box and directions, yours is worth more, especially to serious collectors. There are clubs for collectors of pressing irons. You can find them by doing an Internet search. If you want to sell your iron, contact one of these clubs. You could also offer the iron on a Net auction or advertise in antiques publications.